Category: Travel Tips

The Spanish speaking island of Puerto Rico is only slightly bigger than Delaware, the 3rd smallest state in the US. The Island is less than 100 miles long with only 30 miles between the north and south coast, but has a population nearing 4 million.

Whether you’re visiting Puerto Rico for the sand or scenery you will not be disappointed. With breathtaking mountains views, lush rainforest and cascading waterfalls all surrounded by miles and miles of white sandy beaches, Puerto Rico has it all! For the explorers in the family, Puerto Rico’s mountainous interior, underground caves, and coral reefs will be sure to delight.

Shoppers will not be disappointed either. The Capital city of San Juan as well as the other cities of Puerto Rico provides shoppers with duty free shopping, and money saving deals to be found, especially on jewelry, gemstones, gold and watches. The main shopping districts included the Waterfront, Cristo, Fortaleza and San Francisco. Prices are lower than in the United States and most of the Caribbean islands.

Sightseers visiting Puerto Rico will love strolling down the narrow cobbled streets with blocks of impressive colonial architecture. History abounds in Puerto Rico with its ancient buildings and has more monuments here than anywhere else in the Caribbean. While touring Old San Juan you can visit historic landmarks such as the San Jose Church, the Governor’s Mansion, and Fort San Cristobal. Even though Old San Juan is a historian’s paradise, New San Juan is a bustling metropolitan with modern bistros, restaurants, nightclubs with spectacular resorts and glitzy casinos.

With placid turquoise waters Puerto Rico is ideal for snorkeling and scuba diving or just soaking up the sun and cooling off in the ocean. Palm trees offer plenty of shade for those just wanting to curl up with a book while soaking up the scenery.

Although there are plenty of calms waters to be found, in the winter Puerto Rico has some of the best surf in the region. Rincon is often touted as one of the best surf spots to be found on the globe. In the winter months surfers from around the world gather to conquer waves approaching 20 feet tall, rivaling the surf on Oahu’s north shore. However, when summer approaches the waves diminish on the Puerto Rico northwest beaches and once again become the perfect spots for swimming, windsurfing and snorkeling.

The temperatures of the Bahamas do not fluctuate much between the winter and summer months. Average temperatures in the Bahamas tend to hover around 85 in the summer months and 75 during the winter. Summer brings with it the humidity that the tropics are known for, and there is a much greater chance you will be caught in the rain.

The Bahamas is a year-round destination but the Bahamas Peak season is in the winter months from December to April. This is when hotels, cruise lines, and resorts charge their highest prices. This is because this is when most North Americans like to travel south to escape the blustery winters. Winter also happens to be the driest season here. If you plan to visit during this time it may be wise to make reservations at least a couple of months in advance and even earlier if you plan on a Christmas vacation or plan to visit in the month of February.

The islands’ “off season” runs from late spring to late fall. The summers can become quite hot, but the trade winds of the Caribbean make these days tolerable. These cool breezes usually make the morning, late afternoon, and evening a more pleasant experience. In the fall temperatures become much more tolerable and the cool breezes of the Trade winds ensure comfortable days and nights.

Hurricane Season

Hurricane season in the Caribbean officially last from June 1 to November 30. Hurricanes in the Bahamas are actually fairly infrequent here, and when one does come, satellite forecasts generally give adequate advance warning so that precautions can be taken.

We hope you found our Bahamas travel guide useful and it will help you with your vacation. Feel free o post your comment below and we will be glad to answer you! Good luck!